Seeing is Believing
by Elephantian
Summary: Just back from Romania, Van Helsing and Carl tutor young Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. [Van Helsing.The Brothers Grimm crossover]
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a new little idea I'm trying out. I've never written anything for Van Helsing or The Brothers Grimm, so please be patient. Anyway, this does work. For the record, the sign at the beginning of the movie in Van Helsing says '1796', so we can assume by the time he gets back to Rome from Romania it's about 1798. The first scene in The Brothers Grimm is in 1796, so it's been a few years since their sister's passing. Also, the fic will switch off between the Van Helsing page on fanfics and the Brothers Grimm page every three chapters, so if you're looking for it in one place and it's not there, look in the other. This is dedicated to my friend, DrkHrtWritr27. Enjoy!**

"It's nice to be back home, eh Carl?" Van Helsing said with a smile, admiring the city of Rome from atop a hill.

The friar smiled too. "Not a vampire or werewolf in sight. That's good enough for me."

"Ah, but as soon as we set back in that Church we'll be sent on another task. Maybe we'll get lucky and be sent somewhere nice, like Belgium. I've always wanted some Belgium chocolate, but I've never had the luxury." Van Helsing mumbled before cantering off on his horse towards the city.

"What do you mean 'we'? Van Helsing!" Carl yelled, taking off after him.

The two soon arrived at the Church and were met by Cardinal Jinette.

"Welcome back Van Helsing," the Cardinal greeted, nodding a hello.

"It's good to be back," Carl said, trailing along.

"Very good, actually," Van Helsing added.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Cardinal Jinette asked.

Van Helsing smiled slightly, not being one to show his feelings. "In a way." He answered finally.

"That's nice to know," the eldest man said.

"As much as it's always nice to see you, Cardinal, I'm anxious to get back out. Is there anything new for Carl and I?" Van Helsing asked.

"Van Helsing!" Carl whined, "I don't want to leave again!"

"But Carl," Van Helsing began, "You were useful out there with your inventions and whatnot. I want you to come!"

"With your new task, the Friar will be able to fulfill both wishes." Cardinal Jinette said slyly.

"What do you mean?" the younger two men said at the same time.

"You will not need to leave Rome for your new assignment, Van Helsing," the Cardinal answered, "And Friar Carl can help you."

"What exactly are you setting me up to do?" Van Helsing asked, a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Two orphan brothers are on their way here as we speak from Germany. Their mother just passed, and before that their sister and father. One of the boys, we've been told, likes fairy tales. Mr. Van Helsing, you deal with those things. Things most people would only find in books. We agreed to have them brought here to study."

"What are they going to study?" Carl asked.

"The art of killing monsters," Cardinal Jinette answered, "Under the teachings of Van Helsing."

"What? No!"

"Please Van Helsing, be rational," the Cardinal said, "Think of it as a reprieve for killing Anna Valerious. They are going to be like your apprentices, in a sense."

Van Helsing gritted his teeth. "Very well." He muttered before walking off.

"Van Helsing, wait!" Carl yelled, running after him.

"What?" the hunter asked roughly.

"It might not be too bad," Carl said, "Teaching these boys."

Van Helsing stopped walking and glared down at his friend. "I've never really been fond of children," he stated before starting off again.

"I was never too fond of you," Carl said quickly, "I thought you were arrogant, self-absorbed, and just oddly mysterious. But now we're friends. An unusual duo, yes, but still a duo nevertheless."

Van Helsing stopped again. "They won't be able to do it. They couldn't handle it. I'm the left hand of God, Carl! I was sent to Earth for the very purpose of killing off evil. I will be blamed when they fail."

"But what if they don't?"

"They will."

"How can you be certain they will?"

"How can you be certain they won't?"

Van Helsing sighed and looked down at the Friar. "You are going to help me with this," he said finally, "Murderous deeds such as this aren't all they'll need to know. They'll need to learn mathematics and writing and reading. You're better at that. I'll take care of the monsters if you take care of the actual education."

Carl smiled. "Of course."

"Van Helsing!" Cardinal Jinette called, "They have arrived. Go greet them."

With that, the Cardinal walked away, leaving Van Helsing and Carl to deal with the boys.

Van Helsing groaned and rolled his eyes. "I guess it's time." He mumbled before making his way to the front of the Church, Carl hot on his heels.

An ominous-looking carriage stood before them. Van Helsing nodded a greeting to the driver and opened the carriage door. Two boys sat there, looking up and squinting at the sudden exposure to the light.

One boy, probably the oldest, looked about ten and had blonde hair. He looked extremely bored and probably wished he was elsewhere at the moment.

The other, around eight, had short, brown hair and round, wire glasses. He looked up at Van Helsing and Carl with shimmering eyes.

"You…you…you…" the younger boy stammered, a wide grin splitting his face, "You're the great Van Helsing!"

The older man glared down at the two boys. "That I am," he said, "And what are your names?"

"I'm Wilhelm Grimm, well, just Will. And that is my little brother, Jacob." The blonde-haired boy answered.

"Jake, actually," the younger boy said.

"Well I am Van Helsing, as you've already mentioned," Van Helsing said, "And this is Friar Carl."

"Hello," Carl mumbled, waving.

Jacob waved back. "Nice to meet you." He said softly.

"Come on," Van Helsing said gruffly, "Out of the carriage. Carl, show them to their rooms."

Each boy picked up a small bag from under their seats and followed the friar into the church.

Jake stole a look back at Van Helsing, who continued to stand there as the carriage drove off.

Hesitating for a moment, Jacob set down his bag and ran back to the man, enveloping him in a hug. "Thank you," he said, before scurrying back after his brother and Carl.


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot this in the first chapter and this will count for all remaining chapters – I don't own Van Helsing or The Brothers Grimm. If I did I probably wouldn't be writing this right now. This chapter is dedicated to Lady Nessa and MagRowan for putting this story on their favorite and alert lists. Thanks! And of course, to my editor and friend, DrkHrtWritr27.**

Will laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. The trip to Rome had been quite long and he was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. The room was foreign and sinister looking from the long shadows that were cast across it by the full moon as it peaked through the thick, black clouds. Will missed his old room. He missed his old _life_. The one with Papa and Mama and Lottie. The one where Jake was just a mush-brained baby, who didn't know the difference between beans and money.

Not like he did now, though.

A bolt of lighting sliced through the sky, and the deep ringing of thunder soon followed.

Will watched it with wide, solemn eyes. Back home he and Jake had shared a room. Little Brother had always been afraid of the lightning, and would crawl into bed with Will. The elder brother put a stop to that habit after Lottie's death and Jacob hadn't complained, but Will could tell he wanted to.

As another flash of lightning came, followed almost immediately by thunder, the door of Wilhelm's room flew open and Jake came dashing in and leaped into bed with his brother.

"What do you think you're doing?" Will asked sternly, glaring down at the lump in his bed where his little brother was.

Jacob's head emerged from under the sheets and he looked up at Will with glossy eyes, which were somewhat dulled by his glasses. "The lightning," he began, "It scared me. I…I know you don't like when I come in but…you know…we're not in the same room anymore. And…and we're in a new place. I'm scared."

The last part was said in a whisper as small tears began sliding down the younger boy's face. Will sighed and rolled his eyes before giving Jake a hug.

"It will be alright, Jake," he comforted, "Nothing is going to happen to us. Mama and Papa and Lottie are watching us. And Carl and Van Helsing and the others are here, too."

Jake sniffed and snuggled closer to Will, who put his arm around his small shoulders. "I miss them." He admitted softly, refusing to look his older brother in the eye.

"I do too."

And with that the two Grimm brothers settled down in bed and watched the lightning cut across the sky, hugging each other in hopes to keep the other with them just a little longer, so they wouldn't be left alone.

And that's how Carl found them the next morning.

Wilhelm's hair was tangled and sticking up and Jacob's glasses were sitting in an awkward position on his small nose. They were wrapped in the other's arms and that made Carl smile. He knew they wouldn't admit it, but they really did love each other.

The Friar gently bent down and shook the eldest awake first. "Will," he said softly, "Wilhelm, wake up."

The boy groaned, but his eyes slowly opened. He scanned the room, taking in his still-new surroundings.

"Is it morning already?" he asked, trying not to yawn.

Carl nodded. "Yes, it is. I'll come back for you two in fifteen minutes and than you, Jacob, Van Helsing, and I will go out for breakfast. So please be ready!"

Will nodded dutifully and began waking up his brother as Carl left.

"Jake!" he yelled, "Wake up!"

The younger Grimm woke up with a start and fell out of bed.

"What? Where's the fire?" he asked, whipping his head around to find the source of the commotion.

"You have fifteen minutes to get ready or you get no breakfast," Will said sternly, trying to imitate their mother, "Now **_scoot_**!"

With that, Jacob hurriedly got up and scurried into the hall to his room.

In fifteen minutes, both boys were ready to go. Within moments, Carl and Van Helsing entered Will's room. The Friar looked ecstatic, a wide grin split his face and he seemed to be glowing with happiness. Van Helsing looked like he always did—emotionless.

"Tell me again, Carl, why exactly do I have to do this?" Van Helsing asked, not caring about hurting the boys' feelings, as he seemed to have done.

"It's a special bonding occasion!" Carl said bubbly, "If we're going to be, in a way, working together, we should bond! I thought spending the day with each other was the perfect way to do that!"

The three looked at the Friar with bulging eyes.

"I thought you said we were only going to have breakfast with them!" Van Helsing complained.

The Friar blushed. "Well, a little more time couldn't hurt. Come now, boys, let's get going."

The Grimm brothers followed Carl obediently, as did Van Helsing.

"Why me?" Will and Van Helsing whispered at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, Van Helsing is a bit out of character, but it's for a good cause…kind of. Also, I didn't have my friend edit this chapter, so there may be a few mistakes. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to M for Mystery and HughJackmanFan.**

The four hiked through a small forest, Carl in the lead with a basket, which was most likely filled with food. Van Helsing was right behind him looking considerably grumpy. Will and Jake followed behind, trying desperately to keep up with the large strides of the older men.

"Could you…slow down a…bit?" Jacob asked, doubling over and falling to the ground in an attempt to catch his breath. His face was beet red and he was sweating profoundly despite the cool, morning air. Tears came to his eyes as he huffed and puffed shortly.

"Is he okay?" Carl asked, a tone of worry in his voice.

"We'll know in a few minutes," Will answered, making his way over to his brother, "Jake. Jacob, listen to me. Deep breathes, okay? In and out. In and out."

The older Grimm demonstrated the 'proper' breathing and the younger soon got the hang of it. His face's hue returned to normal and he looked considerably better.

"Better?" Will asked.

Jacob nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"What happened?" Carl asked.

"Oh, he just has some trouble breathing, sometimes," Will answered, "We've never encountered anything terribly serious."

"I…I'm okay," Jake stammered, slowly getting to his feet. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before collapsing to the ground.

Will caught him before his brother's body could make contact with the muddy ground. He wrapped his arms around Jake to keep him from falling again.

"Maybe we should go back, Carl," Van Helsing proposed.

"N…no," Jacob said meekly, "I…I'm fine. Just a bit…lightheaded, is all."

Carl glanced at Wilhelm as if to ask permission.

"It's fine with me," Will answered, "He's been through worse."

Carl nodded. "Then it's settled. Van Helsing, could you carry Jake the rest of the way? It's not too much further."

The man squared his jaw a bit before nodding and hoisting the youngest Grimm onto his back.

"Thank you," Jake whispered in the man's ear as they carried on.

Van Helsing remained silent.

"We're here," Carl said and pushed aside a few bushes. The two boys' eyes widened in wonder. It was like something out of a fairy tale. The sun was shining on a large waterfall, which made the water glitter. Sunny, brightly colored flowers were spread thickly around the small field surrounding the creek. Birds were chirping and even a few rabbits hopped by.

"Carl, how did you manage to find this?" Van Helsing asked.

"I wasn't always a Friar, you know," Carl answered, a grin of excitement splitting his face, "Come on, then. There's a cave behind the falls."

He led the three towards the falls and, amazingly, there _was_ a small inlet. They cautiously crossed the small patch of rock to the cave and settled down.

Jacob wiggled off of Van Helsing's back and took a seat between his brother and the hunter. "Thank you," he said again.

"Is there food in that basket?" Will asked, "Because I'm _starving_."

"Of course there's food," Carl responded before taking a checked blanket out of the basket and throwing it over a fairly large, flat rock. He then emptied the contents of the basket- napkins, cups, and various meats, breads, vegetables, fruits, and even some chocolate.

"_Belgian_ chocolate," Carl said with a satisfactory smile.

"Good work, Carl," Van Helsing said before snatching all the chocolate and hiding it away, eyeing everyone suspiciously with wild eyes.

"Chocolate hoarder!" Will shouted, jumping across the rock and tackling Van Helsing to the ground, "Give me some!"

"Me too!" Jake whined, but stayed far away from the tussle.

"Van Helsing! Will! Stop it!" Carl instructed, but his words did no good. The two continued rolling around the ground, one trying to guard the chocolate the other trying to take it.

"I guess we might as well start eating," Jacob proposed.

Carl shrugged. "Why not?" he asked rhetorically, putting some food on a napkin for the boy.

Jake had barely sunk his teeth into his meal when a loud splash rang through the cave. The Friar and the younger Grimm rushed to the side front of the cave.

"Good job, almighty monster hunter, you ruined it!" Will whined.

Van Helsing simply glared at the boy and took a small piece of chocolate out of his pocket.

"Who said I ruined it?" he asked before taking a bite and smiling satisfactorily.

Will shouted with rage and jumped on Van Helsing's back. "Give…me…the…chocolate!" he yelled.

"Oh Will, that's not how you do it!" Jake said.

With that, he walked up to Van Helsing and snatched his hat off the hunter's head.

"Give me the chocolate, or the hat gets it."

Van Helsing glared at Jacob for a while before finally saying, "Fine, take the chocolate. I didn't want it anyway."

The older man took the chocolate out of his pocket and shoved it into Jake's arms before snatching both the hat and chocolate back. Van Helsing smiled triumphantly and put both the hat and the chocolate in his large pockets.

For a moment, Jake stood there in shock. Finally, his face twisted into a scowl and his hands clenched into fists. His bottom lip trembled violently and he looked up at Van Helsing with wide, glossy eyes.

Suddenly, a loud wail sounded through the cave. Tears streamed down Jacob's face as he threw a temper tantrum.

"GIVE ME THE CHOCOLATE!" the boy screeched, stomping his feet.

Will, Carl, and Van Helsing watched him in awe and slowly the hunter pulled the chocolate out of his pocket.

"H…h…here," he said stammered quietly, obviously somewhat frightened of this outburst of emotion, "T…take it."

He took the chocolate out of his pocket and shakily handed it to the small boy.

As soon as the chocolate was in his hand, Jake immediately stopped crying and he smiled wickedly. "Works every time," he said, taking a bite of his prize.


End file.
